Pinball is thriving around my neck of the woods.

Operators are buying 12+ of titles like KISS.

Couple of new barcades have opened.

Things go in 17 year cycles, and right now the Millennials are crawling out of their cocoons, like Cicadas

cicada-sam_(resized).jpg

There is ALWAYS something wrong with location pinball.

Good arcades have a clip board where you can write the problems down (usually next to the change machine).

The guy who goes around collecting the cashbox in a location with a single pin will never know that anything is wrong with the game.

You can write a note and slide it into the coin door, or call the number of the operator and leave a detailed message (do NOT expect a call-back).

Taping a big OUT OF ORDER sign over the lower playfield and turning the game off, will often get needed attention too.

They don't usually just pop up by themselves.

Even if you put 6 brand new Sterns in a bar, that does not mean that anyone would ever play them.

An area has to support a lot of pin play.

So if you knew of a location that had a few poorly kept games, you might have to organize a weekly league.

Then call the number on the sticker for the operator and inform him that you guys want to do a weekly league and need both machines perfectly working, shopped and waxed.

Once the op sees income coming in, they will obviously pay attention to the game.

Once other patrons of the bar see people playing the game, they might actually try it.

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I know, it's chicken and egg.

But that's how it is.

Cities that have lots of pins on route, have lots of people playing on rout.

Exactly.

You don't want the magnet core being harder metal, and thus chipping up the balls.